Random thoughts from Norway

Some random thoughts from our brief holiday in Norway.

1. From what little I've seen of Norway, I like it - it's functional, efficient, reliable and the people are nice. A bit like Sweden.
2. Trysil is a really good place to come skiing in half-term week, when the alps are crowded and crazy expensive. The skiing here is fantastic and the resort works really well. In fact, it's a good place to ski any time in the season.
3. Things I like about the hotel: it's brand new, it's beautifully fitted out, the staff are great, it's ski-in/ski-out, and the wifi is free. Things I don't like about it: everything extra is expensive, the swimming pool costs extra, the wine list is short/over-priced, and I'm sharing a room (OK, suite, with a separate bedroom) with my kids.
4. If I'd come just with Fiona this would have been a perfect holiday. Unfortunately, my kids can be lovely, but they can be utterly horrible - and I mean horrible. I hope that one day they look back and realize just how horrible they were, and set out to make amends.
5. We are so lucky to be able to come away skiing to a luxury hotel and experience such perfect snow conditions. This is while a sizeable portion of the human race struggles to get enough to eat and/or is denied basic human rights.
6. I'm really enjoying the remainder of the Vinha da Palha that I blogged on yesterday. It's a really characterful wine that delivers lovely well-defined flavours - just what you want from a relatively inexpensive bottle. I'd like this as a house wine. I'd not grow tired with it quickly. Is this the Castelao character? It reminds me of some of the Terras do Sado wines that I've enjoyed.